Memory devices are typically provided as internal, semiconductor, integrated circuits in computers or other electronic systems. There are many different types of memory including volatile and non-volatile memory. Volatile memory can require power to maintain its data (e.g., host data, error data, etc.) and includes random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), and thyristor random access memory (TRAM), among others. Non-volatile memory can provide persistent data by retaining stored data when not powered and can include NAND flash memory, NOR flash memory, and resistance variable memory such as phase change random access memory (PCRAM), resistive random access memory (RRAM), and magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), such as spin torque transfer random access memory (STT RAM), among others.
Electronic systems often include a number of processing resources (e.g., one or more processors), which may retrieve and execute instructions and store the results of the executed instructions to a suitable location. A processor can comprise a number of functional units such as arithmetic logic unit (ALU) circuitry, floating point unit (FPU) circuitry, and/or a combinatorial logic block (referred to herein as functional unit circuitry (FUC)), for example, which can be used to execute instructions by performing logical operations such as AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, and XOR logical operations on data (e.g., one or more operands). For example, the FUC may be used to perform arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division on operands.
A number of components in an electronic system may be involved in providing instructions to the FUC for execution. The instructions may be generated, for instance, by a processing resource such as a controller and/or host processor. Data (e.g., the operands on which the instructions will be executed) may be stored in a memory array that is accessible by the FUC. The instructions and/or data may be retrieved from the memory array and sequenced and/or buffered before the FUC begins to execute instructions on the data. Furthermore, as different types of operations may be executed in one or multiple clock cycles through the FUC, intermediate results of the instructions and/or data may also be sequenced and/or buffered.
In various instances, it can be beneficial to perform exclusive OR (XOR) operations on data. For instance, XOR operations can be used in association with error detection and/or correction (e.g., in association with parity value calculations) and/or in association with performing arithmetic and other operations on operands. However, performing XOR operations on operands stored as data values in an array of memory cells typically involves transferring the data out of the array (e.g., to FUC via input/output (I/O) lines), which can involve enabling decode signal lines in association with a data line address access, for instance. Furthermore, depending on the amount of data (e.g., number of bits) being “XORed,” and/or on the capacity of the FUC being used, transferring the data from the array via I/O lines to perform the XOR operation(s) can involve increased time and/or power as compared to performing the operation(s) without transferring the data out of the array.